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RUMOUR HAS IT

One of one Ferrari

If you have enough money then Ferrari will build you your own car

If you have enough money then Ferrari will build you your own car, like this one-off SP38. Picture: FERRARI

If you have lots of money you can buy a Ferrari. If you have a huge amount of money you can get Ferrari to build you your own one-off model.

Not surprisingly, Ferrari is not telling us how much money one customer had to pay for the famous Italian marque to build the SP38. It was designed by the Ferrari Design Centre and uses the 488 GTB as a platform. The exterior is unique and includes inspiration from the F40 and the 308 GTB. The interior has also been tailor-made for the model.

It has all been about electric bikes regarding concepts at BMW lately, but at the Villa d’Este concours event in Italy, BMW Motorrad unveiled an adventure sports concept with an engine in the form of the 9Cento (apparently pronounced "nove cento").

Edgar Heinrich, head of design at BMW Motorrad, says that the concept "brings together the best of the sports, adventure and touring segments to produce an exciting concept — in a class which has not seen this kind of model from BMW before. The BMW Motorrad Concept 9cento is our interpretation of a modern all-rounder for the new midrange segment."

The design has some BMW familiarity about it but with a more modern take in the sharper angles. There are also clever storage solutions for those who want to tour and even matching leather and Kevlar jackets.

Unlike some of the recent concepts from the brand, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the 9Cento reach production.

Even more X-factor

Brabus has already got its hands on the X-Class with a styling kit and power upgrade. Picture: BRABUS

Mercedes launched the X-Class in SA in May and already the aftermarket companies are producing ways to make yours stand out. Renowned Mercedes tuner and accessories company Brabus has announced its new kit for the X-Class and it will be available in SA.

The upgrade includes a bodywork conversion including Brabus 20-inch wheels as well as additional exterior LEDs. It also includes a performance upgrade courtesy of the Brabus D4 PowerXtra package, which provides an extra 15kW and 60Nm to give the X250d 155kW and 510Nm.

Renault has introduced a new derivative to its Sandero range in the form of the Stepway Plus, which replaces the Stepway Dynamique.

Priced at R206,900 the Stepway Plus has all the equipment the Dynamique had but it also gets 16-inch wheel covers, two new colours, a rear parking camera and Renault’s latest MediaNav infotainment system.

Timetable change

Bloodhound says it will be in SA in May 2019. Picture: BLOODHOUND

The team behind the Bloodhound supersonic car world landspeed record has announced a new timetable for the record attempt, which will take place in SA.

After a number of financial and supplier issues, the team says it is about to announce a significant new sponsor and as a result it will bring the Bloodhound SSC to SA in May 2019.

Previously the plan was to bring the car here for a test run before shipping it back, but to reduce costs it will now remain in SA ahead of the full world land speed record attempt in October or November 2019 on Hakskeen Pan in the Northern Cape.

Finally, a vehicle with a difference. Nissan has revealed its Pitch-R, an autonomous vehicle that can lay out a soccer pitch in 20 minutes.

The robot uses a version of the company’s ProPilot, which will be available in the second-generation Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. It has onboard four-camera vision, GPS location tracking and collision avoidance systems, enabling the Pitch-R to draw lines on grass, tarmac or gravel with ecofriendly dissolvable paint.